And, June.

Hey, remember how I was like May sucks and I will post more in June? And how it's June 26th and I haven't posted yet this month? Yeah, that definitely went as planned.

In fairness, life has happened, you know. The first week and a half of the month my boss was out of town on vacation so I was the big cheese at work. Two weeks with overtime and all sorts of stupid work shenanigans (burgular alarm! overnights!), and then we spent the last week on vacation with Kyle's family. So. So I've been busy. However, vacation means that I have ten bazillion lovely pictures to share with you instead of actually having to write a post with content and shit, yay!

Kyle's parents rented a condo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and we joined them and his brothers from our various residences across the country. Neither Kyle nor I were especially enthused about the location, but I was for sure looking forward to any kind of vacation, so I decided to go in open minded... and we had a blast!

For Father's day we took a gondola ride up to the top of Mt. Werner, for the most delicious ever brunch. I gorged myself on smoked salmon lox. And mimosas. And the chocolate fountain. Amazing start to the week. I last minute decided to pack my collecting stuff, so we went on a nature walk after brunch and I got to catch some cool bugs. I actually Amazon Prime overnighted myself a butterfly net because the insect wildlife was so awesome, and I wanted to be able to do some more intense collecting later in the week.

It's been awhile since I've been so overwhelmed with the majesty of nature. Pictures can't even come close to capturing the breathtaking. Tycho loved it, too, although for his part he mostly just spent the week happily throwing rocks into the Yampa River.

Other highlights included the botanical gardens, hiking the trail at Fish Creek Falls, natural hot springs, catching ALL THE BUGS, and of course rest and relaxation. It was great for Tycho to get some face time with his grandparents and uncles, great for Kyle and I to get to slow down and enjoy each other and our family.

  

MEXICO!!!

So, we took a vacation! Without the baby! It was magical!

18 months, it was definitely time. Kyle and I spent a blissful three nights at an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta, and did mostly nothing, while my parents spoiled the poop out of Tycho. It was good for everyone!

Kyle and I mostly did a whole lot of nothing. Sleeping in late, then laying by the pool, then taking naps, eating at our leisure, taking more naps, never doing dishes or laundry, spending time together, not working, holding hands like that's something we still do. (Apparently, it is!)

I did insist on going to town on one day, so at least we could say we did. Puerto Vallarta is just beautiful. We walked down the avenue by the beach until we found a quiet restaurant for lunch, stopping to buy a souvenir for Tycho, check out the wildlife, take pictures.

At the beach at the end of our walk we rented a pair of jet skis. And then mine ran out of gas and I was stranded out in the ocean, too far to see from the shore. No, I'm not kidding. Kyle had to go in and bring the rental guys back out to get me. I didn't really realize that it was kind of scary until we were safely back on land.

It was all perfectly lovely. Our last night was Valentine's Day, so we capped off our trip with a romantic dinner in the resort's "fancy" restaurant. It was so nice just being together, enjoying each other's company. It's been a long time since we've really been able to do that. Reconnecting was amazing.

I'm proud to say, also, that we didn't get weepy or emo about Tycho. Not at all, really. I only began to miss him when we were flying back home to Seattle, and I was sitting next to an adorable three year old. Her mother was apologizing profusely for the tiny feet periodically kicking me in the thigh, but tiny feet only make me happy.

I'm so glad we were able to go on this trip. It was just what we needed.

Breastfeeding, 18 months in

I've been meaning to write this post for a while. Maybe not this exact post, as things change all the time, but something about the extended breastfeeding thing, because it certainly is a thing.

I'm so proud that we've made it this far. And I am SO ready to be done. But also not?

Nursing a toddler is such a different thing than when he was a baby. Firstly, he is demanding. He furiously will sign at me for milk, crawl into my lap, yank down my top. But he's also all over the place. It's never JUST nursing anymore. He's looking around, pointing, wiggling, trying to run away while still latched on, driving cars all over my chest, winking at me, demanding to play with my phone, putting his foot on my forehead, giving me a high five, playing peek-a-boo, wiggling, wiggling, WIGGLING.

It's not hard or bad by any means, but it's not exactly going as I imagined, either. Everything I'd heard and read suggested that he would gradually taper off, dropping this nursing session or that one, easy, without us having to work on it no big deal. No big deal, my ass. Tapering off? Ha! My kid loves the boobs. He asks to nurse, oh, all the time. All. The. Time. Typically, on a day I work (and am gone for 10+ hours, mind you) we nurse 5-6 times, on average. Once when he wakes up in the morning. Once, at Ashley's  before I leave for work, again at her house when I arrive to pick him up, once or twice in the evening, and once before bed. Days I'm home, I stopped counting. Add something mid-morning, before and after a nap, random afternoon time, oops I bonked my head, etc. All in all, WAY TOO MUCH.

So I'm weaning. I didn't want it to be something I specifically did, but clearly he's not going to initiate it, so I guess I have to. I don't know if I want to wean him entirely; I really did want to make it until age two, but I would also like to have another baby sometime in the relatively near future, and I don't know if I'm even ovulating yet. I don't know if it's because of nursing or my IUD, or some combination of the two, but I haven't had a period since October 2010, so I'm nervous about that. And should I get pregnant, I can't see myself having any energy left for breastfeeding. And tandem nursing? Totally awesome and inspiring when other people do it. Totally not for me. So. Weaning. Ish.

I've decided just to cold turkey drop us down to twice a day. Once in the morning when he gets up, and once after work/nap/before bed, whatever makes the most sense depending on that day's schedule. We're a couple days in, so far so good.

Kyle and I are going to Mexico without Tycho (!!!) next month, and I am, not entirely seriously, considering weaning him completely while we away for four days. I don't know, I bought a hand pump to help relieve engorgement (Yes, at 18 months I still get engorged. Sigh.), and to keep my supply up, I guess, if that's what I want to do, but I don't know if that's what I want to do. It seems really soon, and really kind of mean, since he loves it so much. And I do love it too, even though I'm tired of it. I suppose we'll see how things look when we get to that point.

So it goes

Omigosh blog. It's been a while. I swear I intend to update on the regular, but life and things. I've been pretty much working every single day since we got back from vacation though, including some overnight shifts (another one tonight!), so I've been busy and exhausted. But with Kyle still out of work, it's been wonderful that I've been approved to work so many hours these past couple of weeks. Overtime isn't usually allowed. I've got another six days of crazy to go, and then things should slow down a little next week, thank goodness.

Anyway, updates! Our trip was actually pretty wonderful! I was so not excited about traveling all the way across the country with my 30-pound, newly mobile baby, but he was good on the airplanes about 90% of the time, and I'm pretty sure that's better than you can ever expect. We bought him his own seat this time around, and yeah, best decision ever. Worth any amount of money. Will not travel with him in my lap ever again. Bleck.

In pre-trip planning, my MIL suggested a trip to Cedar Point. Kyle agreed without thinking about it and I was kind of upset, because why in the world would you take an infant to America's biggest roller coaster park? In the summer in Ohio? WHY? BUT Tycho did really well. He hung out with his grandparents while we rode some roller coasters and he went on his first carousel ride and thought it was the most awesome thing ever. Next time we go to the zoo I am doing a carousel detour, because oh, man, he was shrieking and laughing and and flailing his arms in delight and we were just on the boring stationary horse. He'll probably lose his mind if he gets one that goes up and down.

In true summertime, theme park form, Tycho got to try his first ICEE! (His face may suggest otherwise, but he LOVED it, and kept going back for more.)

The point of the trip, besides generic family-visiting, was to go to Kyle's cousin's wedding. I was a little nervous, because it was my first time attending a catholic ceremony, and the when to sit and stand and shake your neighbors hands business is stressful enough without trying to keep a baby from disrupting things. But Tycho nursed to sleep just as things began (add a catholic church to the list of places I've breastfed him), and I was able to lay him down in the pew for a nap. He woke up just as things were finishing up, in a delightful mood.

He also did great at the reception, even though it was a late night. He ate lots of generic wedding buffet food, and he loved dancing with me to any kind of music, and took a hour and a half long nap on his great aunt Nan so that I could get some socializing and dancing-with-my-husband in. And I dressed him up in a little vest so his was scene-stealingly adorable, but did you expect any less?

This trip was also the first time Tycho met his great grandparents, as they were out of town when we were visiting in October. And I was able to take the best picture ever taken: four generations of Boddy men. The first born son of the first born son of the first born son of the first born son. They all share the same middle name. I DIE.

And all wearing novelty shamrock ties as a joke on the groom!

My in laws borrowed a bunch of baby gear from one of Kyle's aunts, so we were well stocked with toys and a high chair and a kiddie pool and even a swing in the back yard, so that made everything so much easier for us.

Another highlight of the trip was meeting Kyle's best friend's week old son, Dominic, but I have no pictures from that even because I was too busy snuggling him and huffing new baby smell. I miss new baby smell. And new baby cuddles. Tycho doesn't cuddle so much anymore.

Cleveland Part II: The Luck of the Irish

Kyle is half Irish. Yeah. His dad is the oldest of nine. He has approximately a billion cousins, ranging from age 6 to almost 30. Almost the entire family live in the same zip code. Holy cow is right. While we were in town, Grandma held her annual Irish corned beef and cabbage feast. Because they like to celebrate St. Patrick's day for a whole month. Because they are really into being Irish. Here is some of the decor, but I will have you know that their house looks like this year round, not just for this particular occasion.

Shamrocks on everything!

Just in case you forgot!

They do it up right.

Kyle's grandparents live in a modest suburban single family home. Approximately fifty people were at the party. And it was still too cool to move the festivities outside.

Yes you did count six tables. Suffice it to say, family gatherings can be overwhelming and exhausting. But also fun when you only have to do it once a year.

My brother-in-law, Chris with our cousin Kelly

Bonnie explaining the meaning of all of her bracelets to my mother-in-law.

Omigosh! An iPad!

We also spent some time with our friends and took in a baseball game, and Kyle ate at a few of his favorite local restaurants. One Chinese place in particular remembers him and still knows his regular order! We had a good trip, but I am so so glad to be home. 

From Seattle Rain to Cleveland Showers

Well, we're back in Seattle, and so glad to be home. Our trip was great, but spending time with Kyle's family is exhausting, and it's a relief for things to return to normal,  or at least as normal as they can be on the eve of my third trimester.

We got into Cleveland on Wednesday morning, but we didn't do a whole lot that day. Kyle caught up on sleep, as he is terrible at red-eye flights. Mostly just some catching up with the in-laws, and enjoying some free time off from work and home responsibilities.

On Thursday night Kyle got a chance to spend some time with some of his college buddies when my Mother-in-Law threw me a baby shower. It was fun, if very traditional and totally not me. I joke that I get to have a midwestern version of everything. We had our traditional midwestern reception in Ohio after our offbeat Seattle wedding, and this was definitely my traditional midwestern shower.

MIL got the whole set of corny decorations, and had me put my merchandising skills to work doing the decorating.

The shower was "small" with "only" very close family. So, about seventeen of us. And lots of wine. It was rowdy, to say the least. I think rowdy is the only way that Kyle's family does things. We'd played dumb shower games, and had some of Kyle's cousins show us their latest Irish step dancing routine.

We made out with a ton of loot, including some of the "big things" that I was starting to get anxious about, but my favorite gift was inexpensive and homemade. My MIL sent a piece of origami paper to each home in Kyle's family and had them all write us a wish. And then she folded them all into paper cranes and turned it into a mobile.

It is beautiful. Like, I gasped. It was hanging in the dining room when we first arrived, and I noticed it right away. "Wow, that is so pretty, when did you get that?" I asked. I was totally blown away that it was for me. For us.

I can't imagine taking it apart, but I also can't wait to see what's been written inside all of the cranes.  I think I'm going to unfold each one, take a picture of the message, and put it all back together, and then make a blurb photobook or something, so we can enjoy all parts of it. Seriously, I love this.

Long Away

Greetings from Ohio. No time yet for the full writeup, but I wanted to post my week 27 picture before I forgot/avoided doing it altogether. Super not cute, but you wouldn't look so hot either after a red-eye flight. And my husband is no good at taking pictures. Or rather he is not patient enough to take approximately 57 frames so that I can find the one that's not quite as crappy as the others since our camera is so terrible. But whatever. Here you go.

Good trip so far, details later.

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

Hey boy! You are wiggling around underneath my laptop right now. It's wonderful. I'm feeling you move around a lot these days. You are getting big and strong, and sometimes your kicks can even be a little painful for me. No matter, I wouldn't trade them for the world. You do a lot of your kicking in the car when I am driving home from work. I think of that time as us time. I play you lots of music, and I hope you are starting to develop an appreciation for it. I know you won't like everything I do, but I think it will be good for you to be exposed to a wide variety of stuff. Although perhaps today's Avril Lavigne was a little much.

This week is week 26. Things are moving along very nicely. When I say "July" it still sounds very far away, but this means we've only 14 weeks left, and really that's not very long at all. And we've both got a lot to do in that time. You're very busy in there working on getting bigger and stronger. Your Daddy and I out here are doing our best to prepare for your arrival. You already have a pretty nifty little wardrobe, and we're slowly acquiring other gear. In another month here we'll start our birth classes, so we'll be better prepared for your entrance into the world.

Next week your Daddy and I are going to visit Ohio. It will be our first time seeing your paternal grandparents since you've been around. And your uncles and great-grandparents and great aunts and once-removed cousins and honorary Ohio aunties. They are all so excited to meet you. And don't worry, they will meet you on the outside, too. We will bring you there again in the fall!

Baby boy, I can't wait until you're here!

Love, Mommy